Page 7 - Parliament

Govt to table bills for removal of PM, CM, minister held on serious charges

The government is planning to introduce three bills in Parliament on Wednesday for the removal of a prime minister, a Union minister, a chief minister or a minister of a state or Union Territory when arrested or detained on serious criminal charges for 30 days in a row. If any one of them is arrested and detained in custody for consecutive 30 days for offences that attract a jail term of at least five years, they will lose their job on the 31st day. These bills are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025; the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also move a motion in the Lok Sabha to refer these three bills to a joint committee of Parliament. Interestingly, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji had not resigned from their posts ever after their arrests on different charges. "A minister, who for

TMC accuses govt of bringing bills to let CBI, ED 'topple' state govts

Trinamool Congress MPs on Wednesday accused the government of bringing new bills to allow the CBI and ED to "directly topple" state governments. The remarks came as the government is planning to introduce three bills in Parliament on Wednesday for the removal of a prime minister, a Union minister, a chief minister or a minister of a state or Union Territory when arrested or detained on serious criminal charges for 30 days in a row. If any one of them is arrested and detained in custody for consecutive 30 days for offences that attract a jail term of at least five years, they will lose their job on the 31st day. These bills are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025; the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025. Flaying the bills, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale charged that Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are looking for "new tricks" to topple state ...

Parl panel pitches for 35% of GDP as investment to achieve 8% growth rate

A parliamentary panel on Tuesday pitched for raising the investment rate from 31 per cent of the GDP to 35 per cent to achieve the ambitious growth target of 8 per cent. The Standing Committee on Finance also urged the government to maintain sustainable, growth-oriented energy policies that prioritise affordability and efficiency while balancing climate commitments with economic and social objectives. The committee headed by BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab also suggested that the Ministry/Central Electricity Authority (CEA) expedite the development of pumped storage projects (PSPs), recognising their critical role in strengthening energy security and reducing import dependency. The panel noted that the investment rate must increase to about 35 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) from the current 31 per cent to achieve the ambitious growth target of 8 per cent annually for at least a decade. "Financing this may result in higher levels of current account deficit (CAD), which i

Govt likely to introduce bill to restore J&K statehood in LS on Aug 20

On Aug 5, 2019, Centre abrogated Article 370 and 35A, ending J&K's special status

Rajya Sabha remains in deadlock as SIR protests force adjournment till 2 pm

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till the post-lunch session within minutes of assembly on Tuesday, as Opposition MPs persisted in demanding a discussion on alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Soon after listed official papers were laid on the table of the House, slogan shouting Opposition MPs moved into aisles and well of the House raising the issue of SIR, leading to proceedings being adjourned till 2 pm. The House will reconvene after the lunch break. Deputy Chairman Harivansh rejected 20 notices that invoked Rule 267, which allows suspension of listed business to discuss matters being raised in them. Without indicating the subject, he said the notices were received on four different subjects, but none of them adhered to the prescribed rules and so were not admitted. He called for taking up the listed Zero Hour, where MPs raise issues of urgent public importance, but sloganeering drowned his attempts. He also object

CP Radhakrishnan to file nomination as NDA's V-P candidate on Aug 20

All NDA MPs and floor leaders, including proposers and seconders, will file nominations together under PM Modi's leadership, Rijiju told reporters

Delhi HC seeks police response to bail plea in Parliament breach case

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought police's response on a bail plea filed in the December 2023 Parliament security breach case. A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain issued notice to the police on the bail plea of accused Lalit Jha in the case and posted the matter for October 8. Jha challenged a trial court's April 28 order rejecting his bail plea. He claimed of surrendering on December 15, 2023 and spending 1.8 years in custody since then. "At the current stage the case is at the stage of arguments on charge and the compliance of Section 207 CrPC. It is also relevant to mention here that in the case there are 133 witnesses in the main chargesheet. However, no single member of Parliament has been enlisted in the list of witnesses," his plea said. Jha further argued no harm or injury or loss of property happened to the members. He claimed the trial court was wrong in not considering the "true facts and circumstances" while dismissing his bail plea. In a major sec

Govt introduces Jan Vishwas (Amendment) Bill 2025 in LS, sent to committee

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2025, which seeks to decriminalise certain minor offences to promote ease of living and business, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday and referred to a Select Committee. Introducing the bill, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the bill seeks to enhance trust-based governance for ease of doing business. The Bill was then referred to the Select Committee of the Lok Sabha. The committee has been tasked to submit its report to the House by the first day of the next session of Parliament. The Bill was introduced amid din as Opposition parties protested demanding a discussion on the voter roll revision in Bihar and other issues. As the protests continued, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 PM. Over 350 provisions are proposed to be amended through this Bill. The legislation is part of the government's efforts to improve the business climate of the country. Earlier in 2023, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment to Provisi

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid noisy protests by Oppn on SIR in Bihar

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Monday following vociferous protests by opposition parties demanding a discussion on the voter roll revision in Bihar and other issues. When the House met at 11 am, opposition MPs, including those from the Congress, were on their feet, raising slogans and showing placards with their demand for discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. Initially, Speaker Om Birla tried to continue the business of the House -- Question Hour -- by allowing members to ask six questions related to several union ministries and departments amidst the din. After about 15 minutes of proceedings, the Speaker asked the protesting members to go back to their seats and warned that if they try to damage government properties, he would be forced to take strong action against them. "No one has the right to damage government properties. If you try to do so, I will be forced to take action," he said, adding there were instances in some

Issue between EC, Congress should not be discussed in Parliament: Rijiju

Rijiju also announced that Parliament will hold a special discussion to honour Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his recent space visit to the ISS as part of India's space mission

Simple language, lucid, says FM as Parliament passes Income Tax Bill, 2025

Opposition members staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha during the discussion, mirroring their protest in the Lok Sabha on Monday

Lok Sabha extends deadline for 'One Nation, One Election' panel report

PP Chaudhary, One Nation One Election Panel chairman, moved a motion seeking more time for the JPC to present reports on the 129th Constitution Amendment and UT Laws Amendment Bills

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm as INDIA bloc presses for discussion on SIR

Rajya Sabha proceedings on Tuesday were adjourned till the post-lunch session within minutes of its assembly, as Opposition MPs insisted on a discussion be taken up on the alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Soon after listed official papers were laid on the table of the House, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said he has rejected all 21 notices that invoked Rule 267, which allows suspension of listed business to discuss matters being raised in them. Without indicating the subject, he said the notices were received on four different subjects but none of them contained a motion drawn in a proper manner. As many as 11 notices sought discussion on a matter which is sub judice, he said. The Supreme Court is hearing petitions filed against SIR. Tiruchi Siva of DMK cited the rule book to say that the ruling of the Chair is supreme and urged him to take up discussion on subjects listed in the Rule 267 notice. Even before he could finish,

Cong has no issues with EC where it wins: Dilip Ghosh on 'vote theft' claim

On Monday, the INDIA bloc MPs took out a march from the Parliament to the EC in Delhi against the alleged irregularities in the 2024 general election and against the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar

Opposition MPs detained during stir over Bihar voter list revision

Opposition MPs protest Bihar voter roll revision in Delhi as Parliament clears eight Bills; Kiren Rijiju slams disruptions and hints at an early end to monsoon session

Critical to have states' confidence to advance NEP vision, says Parl panel

It is critical to have complete confidence of states to successfully advance the vision of the new National Education Policy (NEP) and the Ministry of Education should develop mechanism to coordinate with them on any concerns flagged, a Parliamentary panel has noted. The Department-related Parliamentary Women, Standing Committee on Education, Sabha Children, Youth and Sports, headed by Congress MP Digvijay Singh, also noted the absence of an organised institutional mechanism to gather feedback on the NEP's implementation. It recommended that a centralised nationwide tracker at the university-level should be developed to track progress on NEP implementation in higher education. "The Committee has observed that a synergised collaboration between stakeholders is required for the successful implementation of the NEP. "In response, the Ministry has rightly noted that Education is in the concurrent list of the Constitution. It is therefore critical to have the complete confidence of the

Parliamentary panel questions accuracy of data in Jal Jeevan Mission system

A parliamentary standing committee has flagged concerns over the authenticity of data being fed into the Jal Jeevan Mission's (JJM's) Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), recommending that the Centre institute checks to verify figures uploaded by states. It warned that without reliable data, assessing ground realities and plugging gaps in rural water supply would remain difficult. "Being aware of the fact that actual veracity of uploaded information is essential for realising the actual ground situation and filling the visible gaps, the Committee reiterate its recommendation that the Department makes sincere efforts to ensure the authenticity of the data being fed on the IMIS," the Standing Committee on Water Resources said. In its sixth report on the Ministry of Jal Shakti's 2024-25 Demands for Grants, tabled in Parliament on Monday, the Committee said actual verification of state-uploaded figures was "essential for realising the actual ground situation" and reiterated

Parliament passes Merchant Shipping Bill 2025 amid Opposition protests

Parliament on Monday approved The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025 with the Rajya Sabha passing it with a voice vote. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill on August 6. The bill was passed in the Upper House amid a walkout by the Opposition that was protesting in the House and demanding a discussion on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025 seeks to expand the eligibility criteria for ownership of merchant shipping vessels and provide for investigation and enquiries on marine casualties among others. Earlier, Opposition members protested the taking up of the bill and demanded that the SIR issue be discussed. Amid the din caused by Opposition members, the Rajya Sabha also saw a brief adjournment for a few minutes. Later, when the House assembled at 3 pm, the bill was taken up and passed.

217,000 fake notes of various denominations found in FY25, says govt

As many as 2.17 lakh pieces of fake notes of various denominations were detected during 2024-25 compared to 2.23 lakh such notes in the previous year, Parliament was informed on Monday. Of this, highest -- 1,17,722 pieces -- counterfeit notes of 500 [MG (New) Series] were detected in FY25, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. This was followed by 51,069 pieces of such notes of 100 denomination and 32,660 notes of Rs 200, he said. "Government of India, in consultation with Reserve Bank of India, reviews the effectiveness of security features of banknotes from time to time and undertakes measures to introduce new security features in accordance with Section 25 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Incorporating new security features/new designs in the banknotes to stay ahead of the counterfeiters is a continuous process," he said. In reply to another question, Chaudhary said, the RBI has noted that net fixed assets of private limi

MPs dont need permission to walk on streets of Delhi: Ramgopal Yadav

If you cannot meet MPs citing the excuse of space, then that in itself is a comment on what kind of work you are doing.This (SIR) is a fraud; you are not providing classified data, Manoj Jha told ANI